Battling Bloods
by Maddie Okami
Summary: Inuyasha's long lost sister Tanto has returned and she's heavy with pups. And you'll never believe who's they are...
1. Chapter 1:Big Brother

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

In an Eastern forest of Feudal Japan, a wounded female demon was leaning against a tree. She'd recently battled an ogre, thinking she could handle the beast on her own. Now because of her lack of judgment, her abdomen was bleeding through her light purple kimono profusely and a few of her ribs had been cracked. Her wolf Tomodachi sat beside her, looking up at his mistress and whining.

"It's alright, Tomo." She said with a smile. "I'm okay. This is just a scratch; it'll stop bleeding in a few minutes."

She stared down at the wolf and reached out a hand to rub his neck. She remembered the day she found him, bleeding to death as a cub, the result of a demon's attack. That was three years ago and she remembered the pitiful look he had in his eyes, his brown fur soaked with blood and how there was no one to protect him while he was completely defenseless.

"Now I'm in the same boat as you were, huh fella?"

He whined a bit more as she lowered herself to the ground. She put her arm around Tomo's neck and the wolf nuzzled under her chin. He stuck his nose in her black-tipped lupine ears and licked the inside of them. She giggled as she hugged him tightly and kissed his wet nose.

"My best friend in the world!" She laughed.

She stopped though when she caught the scent of someone familiar. Someone she hadn't seen in nearly a hundred years.

"It can't be him." She said. "Not Big Brother…He's supposed to be in the West, why is he out here?"

Her ears stood forward and she tensed up. Tomo sensed the change in his mistress's mood and growled softly. Silencing the wolf, she stared into the distance, waiting for something to happen. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the familiar sight of a demon, a dragon, an imp and…a human girl?

"What the hell…" She said out loud. "What's he doing with a human?"

Not paying attention, she loosened her grip on Tomo and he bolted out toward the figures. She gasped and lunged forward to catch him but only managed to grab a few hairs from his tail.

"Tomo, no!" She shouted. "Get back here!"

Seeing how he wasn't slowing down, she sprang to her feet and bounded after the wolf despite her injury. She didn't want Tomo to get hurt.

"Damn it Tomo, get back here!" She screamed.

He was not three feet from the newcomers when green whips of light lashed out from the demon's claws, tearing through his body. The she-demon dropped to the ground as she watched blood spurt out of the gashes on her beloved wolf. Tears rolled down the sides of her face as Tomo looked at her the same way he did three years ago. She bit her bottom lip and pulled him onto her lap, letting her tears flow freely.

"So good to see you Tanto." The demon said coldly. "It's been awhile."

She looked up at her brother, tears still streaming down her face. His silver hair was clearly visible in the darkness of the night, just like hers. She could see the crescent moon on his forehead and his striped cheeks. She brushed her claws against the side of her face as if to try and locate her markings.

'_Mine look more like Father's...' _She thought to herself.

She snapped back to reality because she could smell the scent of Tomo's blood. Tanto pinned her ears against her head as she glared up at Sesshoumaru. Just as she was about to speak, Tomo convulsed and blood trickled from his mouth. Tanto held her breath and within moments, Tomo lay still in her lap, to never move again.

"You…You bastard!" She sobbed as she hugged her wolf's dead body. "You killed him! What the hell is wrong with you Sesshoumaru?!"

Tanto cried into Tomo's fur and Sesshoumaru lifted her off the ground by her ear. His eyes burned with anger as he stared into his sister's.

"Don't ever address me that way, cross-breed!" He spat.

She merely smirked and cocked one of her eyebrows. This annoyed her brother and he twisted her ear hard. As he did this, she began to laugh, knowing that it would make him even angrier. Tanto just loved to piss him off.

"What's wrong, Big Brother?" She asked innocently. "Still upset over the fact that I'm more special than you are because I'm half dog _and_ half wolf? And why are you addressing me like I'm our sorry excuse for a brother? After all I'm not the half-demon in the family, Inuyasha is."

She tried to look at the girl on the dragon's back. She'd heard rumors about her older brother taking a human child under his care but she never believed it. She grinned from ear to ear exposing her sharp canine-like fangs.

"Have you turned your back on your own kind?" She smirked. "Abandoning your demon heritage to care for humans just like Father did? What a fool he was."

"Don't you dare speak of Father like that!" He snarled as he threw his sister against a nearby tree.

She hit the trunk with a loud _thud_ and fell to the ground. Tanto lay there for a few moments before rising to her feet, laughing. Her ears stood strait up, showing how big they really were and her eyes seemed to flash red.

"You still haven't realized it yet, have you?" She laughed. "I'm pissing you off because you hurt me so badly. You brought this upon yourself, Sesshoumaru. Had you let Tomodachi live, had you not slaughtered him, then you wouldn't be tormented so. And now, you're going to pay for murdering my only comrade."


	2. Chapter 2:Sibling’s Showdown and a Grave

"Prepare to die, Sesshoumaru!" Tanto snarled.

Her eyes turned red and the wind picked up sending her hair flying in all different directions. Her mouth reached the corners of her face and her fangs grew to an enormous size. A bright light consumed Tanto's whole body and within moments it ricocheted against the surrounding trees, leaving no trace of her behind.

"Jaken," Sesshoumaru ordered, "take Rin and Aun out of here."

"But m'lord…"

"Now!"

Jaken bowed to his master and quickly took the dragon's reins. Sesshoumaru waited until Jaken and Rin were out of sight before he turned to see a twenty foot tall dog.

'_They got away just in time.'_

He stared up at his newly transformed sister, his face as emotionless as ever. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at Tanto for a few seconds before they shot open, now the same crimson red hers had been before she transformed. His face was now covered in white fur and the corners of his mouth reached his ears, just as Tanto's had but moments ago.

"You're mistaken." Sesshoumaru grunted as he too was enveloped in light. "You shall be the one to die!"

The light Sesshoumaru was consumed in began to bounce off trees with so much force that two were uprooted. Once the light stopped, his paw pads hit the ground and shook it, causing Tanto to topple over. Once she recovered, she noticed his missing limb and snickered inwardly.

'_I'll have him down in no time.' _The demoness thought.

Without warning, she charged at him full speed, head on. To her surprise, he bounded right up to her, cracking their heads together. The sickening noise rose in the air and the two siblings looked a bit dazed for all of two seconds before they were at each others' throats again.

Tanto continuously swiped at her brother's face in hopes of knocking him off his feet, to no prevail. Sesshoumaru snapped his jaws and bit at her throat on tenterhooks to end her life. Their snarls could be heard from miles away and now Tanto's blood began to splash onto the forest floor. She had to think fast if she wanted to stay in one piece after this battle, but she had to get Tomo's body away from here.

Tanto was becoming noticeably weaker and Sesshoumaru could've finished her off, but she had other ideas. She crouched as low as could to the ground with her tail tucked between her legs, crawling over to her brother.

'_I can't believe I'm going to surrender to him.'_

'_I can't believe she's going to surrender to me.'_

She slowly approached him, rising just slightly to meet his face. A low growl formed in Sesshoumaru's throat and Tanto backed off a bit. When he became silent, she approached him once more and licked the side of his muzzle, and that's when he saw his chance. Snarling, he turned on her and closed his jaws on her throat, catching his sister off guard. Tanto froze as Sesshoumaru's fangs kept closing tighter and tighter on her throat.

'_This is it.' _She thought fearfully. _'I'm gonna die at my brother's own fangs.'_

She was slipping in and out of consciousness with Sesshoumaru still locked on her throat. Finally, her eyes began to close and Sesshoumaru unhinged his jaws, freeing his sister. Tanto fell on her side, shaking the forest floor with the impact.

Her blood stained the ground and she looked up at Sesshoumaru the same way Tomo looked at her before his death. She brought her head back down to the earth and breathed heavily, knowing that she'd die.

Sesshoumaru was once again devoured by the bright light and moments later he returned to his almost human appearance. As he walked in the direction where Jaken had taken Rin to, he had just realized why his sister had been so hostile. Her scent wasn't normal and he should've figured it out before.

"She was in heat." He said.

He was thinking to go back, but found no reason to when he believed she was dead. No demon would come after her seeking her out to bear its child, maybe just eat hers and the wolf's corpse.

However, he had been wrong, and as soon as he left, Tanto returned to her original form alive, but barely. She struggled to pick Tomo up as best as she could, soaking his fur coat with even more blood than there already was. Tanto dragged the wolf to a nearby stream and began to construct a small grave for him.

As she threw the last bit of dirt over Tomo's body, she sensed a strong demonic aura approaching her. She was in no condition to fight; instead kneeling down and putting her hands together to pray for Tanto to find peace in the afterlife.

When she was done, Tanto rose to her feet and saw out of the corner of her eye a man standing a few feet away from her. She uncovered her fangs and began to growl but stopped when she saw him pray. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at this stranger; captivating her with his looks.

He had dark brown hair that hung loosely around his shoulders and wore a dark kimono. He opened his eyes and turned his attention to Tanto. She gasped when she saw his fiery red eyes and he smiled at her. She could tell right away by his scent that he was a half-demon and couldn't believe she was falling for him.

"I'm sorry!" She said as she turned away from him. "I didn't mean to stare!"

"No need to apologize." He said stepping closer to her. "I was doing the same thing."

Without warning he picked her up and carried her bridal style into the woods. Tanto became a bit frightened but calmed down when she saw him smiling at her.

"Now if you don't mind," He stated, "I'd like to bring you to my castle for medical treatment."

Tanto nodded and she felt her eyelids become heavy. Shaking her head, to wake her up a little bit she looked up at the stranger.

"By the way, what is your name?" She asked.

"Naraku." He replied. "It's Naraku."


	3. Chapter 3:Naraku's Deadly Sin

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?"

"Naraku." The half-demon responded simply.

"You can smell him then?" Miroku inquired.

He gave a small nod and turned his back to the monk. He exhaled and furrowed his brow in frustration.

"But we may have to deal with more than the usual Naraku." Inuyasha whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Shippo, a young fox demon, piped up.

"Because," He said solemnly, "he's not the only one I can smell. There's also a female demon in heat with him so-"

"If it's his mate then he'd be defending her." Sango, a demon exterminator finished. "And that would make him even more aggressive than he normally is."

A minute after she said this, Kagome and Sango began to laugh and Inuyasha stared at them awkwardly. This wasn't funny, so why the hell were they laughing?

"What the fuck is so funny?!" He fumed.

"I don't think it would be his mate." Kagome giggled.

"Yes." The older girl agreed. "I don't think that any demoness would sleep with him!"

"Hea-tuh!" He screamed, enunciating the word.

"Oh." Sango said. "Never mind then."

"Why would that be a problem?" Kagome asked. "I think Sango was right before. No one in their right mind would-"

"Under normal circumstances, she probably wouldn't." The exterminator explained. "But if she's in heat…Well…a female demon can get pretty, um…"

"Just say it." Inuyasha said. "They're really horny and they'll rut on whatever they can. A demoness in heat makes Miroku look normal."

"That's pretty bad then." Shippo smirked.

"Now now, I won't deny being called a lecher," The monk began, "but to say that about a young lady?"

Inuyasha clenched his fists and his eyes widened. He uttered a low growl and flattened his ears against his head. His claws punctured his skin and small drops of blood fell to the ground.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Kagome asked worriedly.

"That bitch!" He growled. "It can't be her…But it is…Damn it, Tanto!"

He gripped the sides of his head and collapsed into a heap on the ground. He writhed in pain as if he was being beaten. He screamed insanely and slammed his head against the ground.

"Inuyasha!"

Kagome dropped down next to him and put her hand on his back. She couldn't understand why he was acting so strangely. He never broke down and screamed that way.

"What is it Inuyasha?" Miroku inquired. "What's the matter?"

"The demoness." He said weakly. "It's…It's my older sister. She's the one who's with him! And if Naraku has her now because of her stupidity, then…then… I'll have a niece or nephew sired by that bastard!"

"Inuyasha, calm down now." Kagome whispered soothingly. "You're sister you say? I wasn't aware you had one, but I'm sure that she won't do anything rash with Naraku."

The half-demon quickly sat up and he had a look of pure hatred on his face. He began to growl once more and his nails were digging into his flesh again.

"When I get my hands on him and that whore I have for a sister, I'll-"

"Sit!"

As soon as that word left Kagome's lips, Inuyasha was being pulled to the ground. He lay there for a moment, taking in what had just happened. He quickly sat up and spit out the dirt that was in his mouth. Once he regained his bearings, he turned to face Kagome.

"What the hell was that for?!" He shrieked.

"How can you call your only sister a whore?!" Kagome shouted.

"I call my only brother a son of a bitch all the time but you don't say anything about that." He replied. "So why are you just starting to defend my siblings now?"

"Because it isn't her fault that she's in heat!" Kagome cried. "She didn't ask for it, it's not her fault if she sleeps with him because of her hormones!"

"That's right." Miroku said. "In that situation, what would you do?"

Inuyasha laced his ears against his head and thought it over for a while. He hated to admit it, but they had a point. It wasn't Tanto's fault that she was in heat, and Naraku was probably the first man she came across. Finally, he picked up his ears and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Fine." He growled. "She'll live and the pup, possibly. But Naraku is definitely dieing!"

"The child will live too."

"And if I say no?"

"Si-"

"Okay, okay! The pup will live too!" He shouted. "But I'm warning you, if I don't kill that pup, Sesshoumaru definitely will."

"Your sister," Miroku began, "what does she look like?"

"It's been so long since I last saw her." Inuyasha said as he scratched his head. "I was still a little kid...Well, she kind of looks like me only more feminine looking and her ears have black tufts of fur on the tips."

"What? No tail?" Shippo smirked.

"I was getting to that!" Inuyasha snarled.

"So she does?" Kagome asked.

"White with a black tip." He replied. "She's half wolf demon and…And I think we should go after her, I'm worried about her."


	4. Chapter 4:A Desperate Escape

The next morning, Tanto awoke to see Naraku next to her. She couldn't tell if he was asleep because he had his eyes closed. Sighing contentedly, she snuggled up to his bare chest, and closed her eyes.

"So you're awake then?"

Tanto backed up a bit to give Naraku some room, but he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He buried his face in her hair, taking in her scent. He grinned as he took the tip of her ear and sucked on it.

"Trying to escape?" He hissed seductively.

He blew into Tanto's ears softly and it sent chills down her spine. Laughing to himself, he sat up, pulling her with him. Naraku embraced her tightly until she began to squirm from the pain he was causing her.

"A little sore from last night?" He asked innocently.

Tanto nodded, her eyes still closed with a look of contentment on her face. She couldn't believe that she did what she did last night. Naraku loosened his grip on her, but didn't let go.

"Is that better?"

"Mmmmmm…"

"Moaning because you're tired or because you want more?"

"I'm tired…"

"Disappointing."

"Lecher."

Within moments of saying that, Tanto found herself on the floor, the side of her face stinging in pain. Tears formed in her eyes, as Naraku took a strand of her hair in his hand and jerked her up to meet his eyes.

"Don't ever call me that again, wench!" He spat. "Understand?!"

Tanto nodded her head and Naraku grinned. She didn't like the look he had in his eyes. Before she knew it, he had her pinned face down against the bed and was moving her hair off the back of her neck. As soon as she realized what he was planning to do, tears started to roll down her face.

'_Damn it. He's going to mark me.'_

Tanto winced when she felt Naraku's fangs digging into the back of her neck. She cried out in pain, which made him drive them farther into her flesh. Streams of blood trickled down her neck and Naraku broke his hold over her.

"Now you're my mate." He hissed in her ear. "No other man can touch you."

'_No kidding, dumb-ass.' _Tanto thought bitterly. _'We became mates last night when I got in bed with you.'_

"You might want to be careful with what you think." Naraku growled.

_'He…He can read my thoughts.'_

"You…What _are _you?" She asked.

"I, my dear, am your mate." He replied. "You need know nothing else except that you will never leave me and if you do, your life will end."

Tanto lowered her ears and swallowed hard. Half demon may he be, he was still powerful and she knew that. She heard him laugh and felt his fingers wrap around the back of her neck as he pulled her up from the bed and into an embrace.

"Now get dressed and meet me downstairs for breakfast." Naraku said.

"Yes dear." She replied sweetly.

"That's my girl." He whispered as he kissed her softly.

Once he pulled himself away from her, Tanto watched Naraku exit the room and breathed a sigh of relief. She took a glance around until she saw her kimono on the far side of the room. Tanto slowly walked over to her clothes, trying to move without causing herself anymore pain than she already was. She quickly dressed and headed for the door until she felt a breeze against her back. Tanto looked over her shoulder to see a large balcony.

Cautiously, she approached the open doors leading outside and she felt the warmth of the sun against her skin. She looked over the side of the balcony and a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. The view was spectacular and Tanto found herself thinking about escaping.

'_You need know nothing else except that you will never leave me and if you do, your life will end.'_

The words echoed in her head, and she shuddered at the thought of him killing her. Power or no power, she had the Great Dog Demon's blood flowing through her veins. She easily had more than he did.

"I'm gettin' the hell outta here!"

After making sure that the coast was clear, she jumped off of the side, landing gracefully on her feet. With one last look at the castle she'd stayed in last night, she laughed and ran as fast as she could from the horrid place.

_'What the hell was I thinking, getting in bed with that maniac?!'_

"What's taking her so long?" Naraku said impatiently.

"Is something the matter Lord Naraku?" Kohaku asked.

"Kohaku, go and get Tanto."

"Yes sir."

Kohaku rose from his place at the table and made his way up the stairs. He looked into Naraku's quarters cautiously, not knowing whether Tanto was dressed or not.

" Excuse me, Lady Tanto?" He called.

The room was completely empty. Naraku wouldn't be happy with this. Kohaku rushed downstairs to inform his master of Tanto's absence.

"So she's gone is she?" Naraku asked. "I warned her of the consequences if she had escaped. Now she'll know I meant it."


	5. Chapter 5:Reunited

"Inuyasha, can we please stop to rest now?" Kagome whined. "We've been searching for days and we haven't found anything that could possibly lead us to your sister and Naraku."

"That's where you're wrong." Inuyasha said with a smile. "I can smell Tanto. And she's nearby."

He started to laugh and getting excited to see his sister. Even though she was a full-blooded demon and Inuyasha was a half-demon, she treated him as if he was full-blooded as well. With that in mind, he ran off in the direction where her scent was coming from.

"Inuyasha, wait!" Kagome shouted.

"It's no use, Kagome." Miroku chuckled. "He's elated to see her. Remember how he said she was kind to him, despite being a full demon?"

"Yeah." Kagome said uneasily. "I just wish that he'd wait for us."

"Then we should get going if we're going to meet his sister." Sango sighed. "C'mon Kirara!"

Inuyasha's heart was beating as Tanto's scent became stronger. This would've been the first time since he was a child that he'd seen his sister. He was starting to get frustrated because he couldn't find her until he saw the figure of a woman with silver hair, lupine ears and a black-tipped tail lying unconscious in the grass.

"Tanto?" He asked.

Her ears perked up at the sound of her name and she slowly opened her eyes. Once she caught her brother's scent, she sat bolt upright and looked right at him.

"Inu…yasha?"

His heart leapt in his throat as he watched her get up and walk over to him. As she came closer, a wave of fear washed over him. What if she changed over the years? Sure they got along back then, but he was only a child then.

As she reached Inuyasha, Tanto looked down at her baby brother solemnly for a few moments, making him nervous. She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"It's been awhile, Inuyasha." She whispered.

"Tanto…" He said. "I missed you so much!"

Inuyasha returned her embrace and smiled contentedly. It had indeed been a long time since their last encounter and they were making up for every lost minute between them. Tanto was practically squeezing the life out of Inuyasha, but he was afraid to hug her too tightly for fear of hurting his possible niece or nephew.

"Tanto," He gasped, "I can't breathe!"

"I'm sorry!" She said, immediately letting him go. "I just haven't seen you in a while and I was excited to see you."

"Don't sweat it, Sis." He said. "By the way, I caught your scent two days ago when you were in heat. But I also caught scent of that bastard Naraku. By any chance, did you come in contact with him?"

"Inuyasha, you know I can't lie to you." She sighed. "Yes, I did come in contact with Naraku, and to save you the trouble of asking me, something did happen between us. But might I ask you how you know him?"

Inuyasha was quite taken aback at his sister's question. How could she not know what Naraku did for a living? He looked Tanto dead in the eye and told her how he and Naraku were connected and how he and his friends were after his death.

"Oh God, the man I'm mated to is my younger brother's worst adversary." She groaned.

"Don't worry about it." Inuyasha said sadly. "It wasn't your fault. You were in heat. The real concern though, is whether or not you're pregnant with his child, but I'm sure in a few days that we could pick up the scent of your pup."

"I hope we don't."

"Inuyasha!"

The two siblings turned to see Kagome running up to them with Sango, Miroku and Shippo close behind. Kagome looked at Tanto for a brief moment before casting her gaze to Inuyasha.

"This is her?" She asked.

Inuyasha nodded and looked at his sister proudly. Miroku, being the kind of person that he was, immediately grabbed Tanto's head and got down on one knee.

"My fair lady," The monk began, "would you do me the honor of bearing my child?"

"You might be too late, Miroku." Inuyasha smirked. "Naraku got to her first, but we're hoping she's not carrying his pup."

"You know, I can bring back a pregnancy test from my time so we know for sure." Kagome offered.

"It's not necessary." Tanto said non-chalantly. "Thank you for the offer, but with mine and my brother's noses, we'll be able to tell in a few days."

Kagome nodded and smiled at the demoness. She seemed kinder than Sesshoumaru, but still didn't care for humans. There was something about this girl that made her feel safe even though she was a demon. But they knew that if Tanto was pregnant, then in a little while, the hormones would start kicking in and she'd become extremely aggressive.

_'Hopefully that won't happen though…'_


	6. Chapter 6:Dangerous Confrontations

Tanto lay on her back, staring up at the stars that night. She had one hand on her abdomen and using the other as a pillow. She couldn't sleep not knowing whether or not that she would be birthing Naraku's child. Sighing, she rolled onto her side.

"A little restless?" She heard a familiar voice say.

She sat bolt upright as her eyes filled up with tears. It couldn't be him. Her ears were playing tricks on her. It wasn't him. He couldn't have found her _that_ fast. She slowly turned around and stared up at Naraku.

"You look unhappy, Tanto." He smirked. "Did I not satisfy you that night? Is that the reason for your running away?"

Her eyes were locked on her mate and her mouth was agape. She dropped her ears and her chest tightened from fear. As Naraku's hand closed tightly around her throat, Tanto's eyes widened.

"I told you that your life would end if you left me." He growled. "And I meant it."

"Please…" She gasped. "Don't…Don't kill…"

"You should have thought of that before you disobeyed me."

He wrapped his fingers tighter around Tanto's throat. Now struggling to breathe, she desperately tried clawing his hands. When she saw this wasn't working, she began to rake the claws on her toes down his torso.

"Stupid woman, do you think that actually hurts?" He asked.

He tightened his grip once more and Tanto tried gasping for breath. She was amazed that Inuyasha, let alone anyone, didn't wake up from all the commotion. There wasn't any way out for her, and Naraku felt her beginning to go limp. Then to his surprise, she barked as loud as she could. The sound was unintelligible from that of a dog, and upon hearing that, Inuyasha woke up.

Still half asleep, Inuyasha watched the scene laid out before him. Naraku wasn't paying any attention to Inuyasha; not even knowing he had awoken. Finally, once he was fully conscious, Inuyasha gripped the hilt of the Tetsusaiga and unsheathed the great sword.

Watching Tanto slip in and out of consciousness and fully understanding that she couldn't speak, he began to bark to her.

_'Your sword!'_

'_What sword?'_

_'The sword Father gave you!'_

'_Father never gave me a sword!'_

'_Damn him, he left his daughter defenseless.'_

_'I know, right?'_

Now furious at his father for leaving this world without leaving his only daughter a weapon, he charged Naraku with his newfound anger. Just as he turned around, Inuyasha drove Tetsusaiga's blade through Naraku's back.

"You idiot." He said as he dropped the now unconscious Tanto. "As if you can kill me."

"Maybe I can't alone," Inuyasha growled as he heard his friends getting up, "but maybe we all can!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted. "Get back and I'll shoot him with one of my arrows!"

"Right!"

Kagome pulled back the bowstring and aimed her arrow at Naraku's body. As she released the arrow, a pink aura began to glow around it as it sped toward Naraku. When it impaled his body a blinding bright light filled the night sky making it look like day. Once the light died down, Naraku was gone only leaving a shred of his clothing behind. Tanto regained consciousness and was rubbing her neck as if checking for something.

"Is…Is it over?" Shippo asked. "Did we finally defeat Naraku?"

"No." Tanto said as she bit back tears. "I can still feel his mark."

Sighing, she picked up the piece of fabric and rose to her feet. She stared at it for a few moments before bringing it up to her face and inhaling deeply. Inuyasha looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked.

"Getting the scent…" Tanto quickly answered. "Need to get the scent…"

"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, "why is she so focused on his scent? Wouldn't she already know it since…"

"She's got wolf demon blood in her." He replied. "And as Kouga so clearly demonstrates all the time, once she puts her mind to something, she won't stop until she succeeds in doing so."

Nodding, she turned to see Tanto tuck the cloth into the folds of her kimono. Her ears stood erect and her tail was arched. Inuyasha could tell right away that something was wrong and when he lifted his nose to the sky, he knew what was ailing his sister.

"Sesshoumaru…"

"He's coming!" Tanto said as tears spilled down her cheeks. "Damn it! He's gonna fucking kill me!"

She gripped the sides of her head and collapsed into a heap on the ground. Screaming and crying, she curled up into a ball with her tail between her legs. Her ears were laced back and sobs racked her body.

"Damn it! He thinks I'm dead and if he finds out what I did-" She cried.

"Okay." Inuyasha said soothingly as he bent down next to her. "He's not going to do anything to you as long as I'm here."

"And who says he'll find out?" Sango inquired.

"As long as no one says anything about it, you'll be alright." Miroku stated. "And I suggest getting rid of that fabric and taking a bath so he doesn't smell Naraku on you."

Tanto sat up and stared blankly at the two humans. She was always taught that humans despised demons, and very rarely showed them any compassion. She never believed it until Inuyasha was born, living proof that a human and a demon could love each other.

Inuyasha inhaled deeply, taking in the cool night air. He looked at Tanto with a worried expression adorning his face.

"You'd better hurry up." He said solemnly. "He's not too far away."

She nodded her head and was about to say something until she laid her ears against her head. Inuyasha saw the fear on his sister's face and he slightly turned. Looking over his shoulder, he met a pair of golden eyes like his own and Tanto's. Growling softly, he stared up at the face of their older half-brother.

Sesshoumaru looked over the half-demon's head at his cowering sister. A smile full of malice tugged at the corners of his mouth as he walked around Inuyasha toward Tanto. She sprang to her feet and turned to run but Sesshoumaru caught the back of her kimono and brought her to his face.

"So you've survived our battle Tanto." He said as emotionless as ever. "I underestimated y-"

Then he caught the faint scent of Naraku. On Tanto. He furrowed his brow and dropped her at his feet. She thought he would kick her so she wrapped her arms around her stomach. She closed her eyes tight and curled up into a tight ball.

"Calm yourself, dear sister." He said coldly. "For now, you and your unborn children shall live."

"My…My _what_?" She demanded.

"Are you deaf?" He asked. "Did you not hear what I said? I shall let you and your children live for now."

With that said he turned and walked away from his sister. A lump rose in Tanto's throat and her heart seemed to stop beating. She lowered her ears and her eyes began to moisten. She bit her knuckle until it bled to keep herself from ripping someone apart.

"You're lying!" She shouted through tears.

"What was that?" Sesshoumaru asked, as he stopped.

"You God damn fucking liar!" Tanto screamed, lunging at him.

Her brother turned around in time for her claws to shatter his armor. Smirking, Sesshoumaru grabbed his sister by the throat and hurled her against a tree trunk. Sango and Kagome gasped when Tanto made contact with the bark and fell lifelessly to the ground.

"What's wrong with you?!" Inuyasha barked. "If you said you'd let her and the child live what the fuck was that for?!"

"She was being foolish." Sesshoumaru replied without giving his half-brother a glance. "She was punished for her actions."

"What about the baby Sesshoumaru?!" Kagome shrieked.

"They will not die." He said flatly.

And with those words he left. The group watched him depart and then turned their attention to Tanto. Inuyasha was at her side supporting her while Kagome overlooked her body for any injuries. Tanto began to come around and Inuyasha held her up. As she fully regained consciousness, she looked around, confused.

"What…No….It can't be." Tanto breathed.


End file.
